Patent Application
20240359906
N/A
The present disclosure relates to commodity storage containers and lid assemblies for commodity storage containers.
Grain bins (i.e., grain storage containers) typically include bulk storage structures for dry commodities (e.g., corn, soybean, wheat, oats, barley, etc.). Grain bins typically include cylinders made of corrugated sheets or sheet metal with a coned metal roof that includes vents. The floors of grain bins typically have aeration systems to keep good air flow through the commodities and keep it at a good temperature and humidity level to prevent spoilage. At the top of each grain bin, a central opening is typically defined that can be interface with conveyors to receive grain.
Embodiments include a lid assembly for a storage container. The lid assembly may include a rail guide member configured to be mounted to a slanted roof of the storage container, the roof being slanted relative to a horizontal plane by a first angle, and a lid coupled to the rail guide member and configured to slide along the rail guide member between open and closed positions, where, when the lid is in an open position, an upper surface of the lid is oriented at a second angle relative to the horizontal plane, and where the second angle is at least substantially equal to the first angle.
The lid assembly may also include an attachment bracket coupled to the lid, and a cable coupled to the attachment bracket.
The attachment bracket may extend past an outer peripheral edge of the lid.
The attachment bracket may include a first member connected to a first lateral side of the lid and extending at a first acute angle relative to the upper surface of the lid and at least partially over the upper surface of the lid, a second member connected to a second, opposite lateral side of the lid and extending at a second acute angle relative to the upper surface of the lid and in a direction away from lid, where the first acute angle is smaller than the second acute angle.
The first member of the attachment bracket, the second member of the attachment bracket, and the upper surface of the lid may define a triangle.
The cable may be coupled to the attachment bracket at a portion of the attachment bracket extending past the outer per peripheral edge of the lid.
The lid may be rotatably coupled to the rail guide member via a coupling member.
Some embodiments include a lid assembly mounted to a roof of a storage container. The lid assembly may include a rail guide member mounted to the roof of the storage container and a lid rotatably coupled to the rail guide member and configured to slide along the rail guide member between open and closed positions, where, when the lid is in an open position, a center longitudinal axis of the rail guide member is at least substantially parallel to an upper surface of the lid.
The rail guide member may include a furring channel.
An upper surface of a web of the furring channel may be at least substantially parallel to the upper surface of the lid when the lid is in an open position.
An upper surface of a web of the furring channel may be at oriented at an acute angle relative to the upper surface of the lid when the lid is in a closed position.
The lid may be rotatably coupled to the rail via a coupling member.
One or more embodiments include a storage container system. The storage container may include a frustoconical roof defining a central opening and a lid assembly mounted to the roof of the storage container. The lid assembly may include a rail guide member mounted to the roof of the storage container and oriented such that a center longitudinal axis of the rail guide member has a same pitch as the roof and a lid rotatably coupled to the rail guide member and configured to slide along the rail guide member between open and closed positions over the opening, where, when the lid is in an open position, an upper surface of the lid has a same pitch as the roof.
The lid may be configured to rotate about a horizontal axis via a pivotal connection to the coupling member.
The coupling member may be slidably coupled to the rail guide member.
The lid assembly may also include an attachment bracket coupled to the lid and a cable coupled to the attachment bracket.
The attachment bracket may extend past an outer peripheral edge of the lid.
The cable may be coupled to the attachment bracket at a portion of the attachment bracket extending past the outer per peripheral edge of the lid.
The lid may be configured to rotate about a horizontal axis via a pivotal connection to the coupling member.
The coupling member may be slidably coupled to the rail.
Other technical features may be readily apparent to one skilled in the art from the following figures, descriptions, and claims.
Within the scope of this application, it should be understood that the various aspects, embodiments, examples and alternatives set out herein, and individual features thereof may be taken independently or in any possible and compatible combination. Where features are described with reference to a single aspect or embodiment, it should be understood that such features are applicable to all aspects and embodiments unless otherwise stated or where such features are incompatible.
While the specification concludes with claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming what are regarded as embodiments of the present disclosure, various features and advantages may be more readily ascertained from the following description of example embodiments when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:
Illustrations presented herein are not meant to be actual views of any particular storage container or lid assembly, component, or system, but are merely idealized representations that are employed to describe embodiments of the disclosure. Additionally, elements common between figures may retain the same numerical designation for convenience and clarity.
The following description provides specific details of embodiments. However, a person of ordinary skill in the art will understand that the embodiments of the disclosure may be practiced without employing many such specific details. Indeed, the embodiments of the disclosure may be practiced in conjunction with conventional techniques employed in the industry. In addition, the description provided below does not include all the elements that form a complete structure or assembly. Only those process acts and structures necessary to understand the embodiments of the disclosure are described in detail below. Additional conventional acts and structures may be used. The drawings accompanying the application are for illustrative purposes only, and are thus not drawn to scale.
As used herein, the terms “comprising,” “including,” “containing,” “characterized by,” and grammatical equivalents thereof are inclusive or open-ended terms that do not exclude additional, unrecited elements or method steps, but also include the more restrictive terms “consisting of” and “consisting essentially of” and grammatical equivalents thereof.
As used herein, the singular forms following “a,” “an,” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.
As used herein, the term “may” with respect to a material, structure, feature, or method act indicates that such is contemplated for use in implementation of an embodiment of the disclosure, and such term is used in preference to the more restrictive term “is” so as to avoid any implication that other compatible materials, structures, features, and methods usable in combination therewith should or must be excluded.
As used herein, the term “configured” refers to a size, shape, material composition, and arrangement of one or more of at least one structure and at least one apparatus facilitating operation of one or more of the structure and the apparatus in a predetermined way.
As used herein, the term “substantially” in reference to a given parameter, property, or condition means and includes to a degree that one skilled in the art would understand that the given parameter, property, or condition is met with a small degree of variance, such as within acceptable manufacturing tolerances. By way of example, depending on the particular parameter, property, or condition that is substantially met, the parameter, property, or condition may be at least 90.0% met, at least 95.0% met, at least 99.0% met, or even at least 99.9% met.
As used herein, the term “about” used in reference to a given parameter is inclusive of the stated value and has the meaning dictated by the context (e.g., it includes the degree of error associated with measurement of the given parameter, as well as variations resulting from manufacturing tolerances, etc.).
As used herein, the term “and/or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.
The rail guide member 202 may be mounted to the roof 118 of the storage container 100. The lid 204 may be cylindrical in shape and may be coupled to the rail guide member 202 via a coupling member 210. The coupling member 210 may be fixedly attached to the lid 204 and may be rotatably and slidably coupled to the rail guide member 202. For instance, the coupling member 210 may be rotatably coupled to the rail guide member 202 via a pin such that the coupling member 210 may rotate (e.g., pivot) about a horizontal axis relative to the rail guide member 202. Additionally, the coupling member 210 may be slidably coupled to the rail guide member 202 via a pin and slot connection. For instance, the pin, about which the coupling member 210 can rotate, may also extend through one or more slots (e.g., slot apertures or slot grooves) defined in the rail guide member 202 along a longitudinal length of the rail guide member 202, and the coupling member 210 may be slidable along the one or more slots. The lid 204 may be configured to slide along the rail guide member 202 via the coupling member 210 and between open and closed positions. In one or more embodiments, the rail guide member 202 may include furring channel (e.g., hat channel) with the one or more slots formed in sidewalls of the furring channel.
In some embodiments, the roof 118 may be slanted (e.g., angled) relative to a horizontal plane by a first angle (a), and when the lid 204 is in an open position (discussed below), the upper surface 206 of the lid 204 may be oriented at a second angle (B) relative to the horizontal plane. In one or more embodiments, the first angle (a) may be at least substantially equal to the second angle (B). Put another way, when the lid 204 is in an open position, the upper surface 206 of the lid 204 may have substantially a same pitch as the roof 118 of the storage container. Moreover, when the lid 204 is in an open position, a center longitudinal axis of the rail guide member 202 may be at least substantially parallel to the upper surface 206 (e.g., upper planar surface) of the lid 204, and when the lid 204 is in a closed position, the center longitudinal axis of the rail guide member 202 may be oriented at an obtuse angle relative to the upper surface 206 of the lid 204. As a result, when the lid 204 is in an open position, the upper surface 206 of the lid 204 may be at least substantially parallel to an upper surface of a web of the furring channel of the rail guide member 202.
The attachment bracket 208 may be attached to the lid 204, and the cable 212 may be coupled to the attachment bracket 208.
As noted above, the cable 212 may be coupled to the attachment bracket 208. The cable 212 may be utilized to move the lid 204 between open and closed positions and may form a portion of a cable assembly.
Referring to
The cable 212 may be attached to the attachment bracket 208, extend from the attachment bracket 208 to the eave pulley assembly 502, engage the pulley 406 of the eave pulley assembly 502, extend down a side of the bottom housing 106, and be coupled to the winch assembly 504. In some embodiments, the cable 212 may be attached to the attachment bracket 208 at a portion of the attachment bracket 208 extending past the outer per peripheral edge of the lid 204 in a horizontal direction. Operation of the lid assembly 102 is described in greater detail below.
In some embodiments, the lever arm 604 may be rotatable coupled to the lid 204 such that the level lever arm 604 is rotatable about a horizontal axis and may be coupled to the roof 118 of the storage container 100 on opposing sides of the central opening 122 via the at least one mounting bracket 404 and the at least one biasing member 614. For example, in some embodiments, the at least one mounting bracket 612 may include two mounting brackets 612 mounted to the roof 118 on opposing sides of the central opening 122, and the lever arm 604 may be rotatably coupled to the mounting brackets 612 with the at least one biasing member 614 engaging the lever arm 604 and the mounting brackets 404. In some embodiments, the at least one biasing member 614 may bias a rotation of the lever arm 604 relative to the mounting brackets 612 (e.g, about a horizontal axis intersecting a vertical axis 632 extending through a center point of the central opening 122) toward a side of the central opening 122 opposite the rail guide member 202 mounted to the roof of the storage container 100. Furthermore, because the lever arm 604 is biased toward a side of the central opening 122 opposite the rail guide member 202, the pivot lever assembly 214 may bias the lid 204 toward or to a closed position.
In some embodiments, the biasing member 614 may include a coil spring. In other embodiments, the biasing member 614 can include any conventional biasing mechanism for applying a torque to an object (e.g., cause the object to rotate about an axis).
In one or more embodiments, the lever arm 604 may include a generally U-shaped arm such that the level lever arm 604 can engage two mounting brackets 404 on opposing sides of the central opening 122.
Referring to
Continuing to actuate the winch assembly 504 will eventually cause the lateral side of the lid 204 coupled to the lever arm 604 and the lever arm 604 to approximate the rail guide member 202 with the upper surface 206 of the lid 204 being at least substantially parallel to a center longitudinal axis of the rail guide member 202 and the central opening 122 of the storage container 100 being at least substantially entirely exposed. In other words, continuing to actuate the winch assembly 504 will eventually cause lid 204 to move into an open position from a closed position.
Conversely, to move the lid from the open position to a closed position, the winch assembly 504 can be released. In other words, the winch assembly 504 can be actuated to permit the rotatable spool to rotate freely. Once the winch assembly 504 is released, the biasing member 614 may cause the lever arm 604 to pivot relative to the mounting brackets 612 of the pivot lever assembly 214 and rotate about the horizontal axis intersecting the vertical axis 632 extending through a center point of the central opening 122 in an opposite direction relative to opening the lid 204.
Because the lever arm 604 is rotatably coupled to lateral side the lid 204, causing the lever arm 604 to pivot relative to the mounting brackets 612 and rotate about a horizontal axis intersecting the vertical axis 632 in the opposite direction causes the lateral side of the lid 204 to lift with the lever arm 604 in an opposite arcuate direction, and because the lid 204 is slidably and rotatably coupled to the rail guide member 202 on an opposing lateral side of the lid 204, causing the lever arm 604 to pivot relative to the mounting brackets 612 and rotate about a horizontal axis intersecting the vertical axis 632 in the opposite direction causes the opposing lateral side of the lid 204 to rotate relative to the rail guide member 202 and begin to slide up the rail guide member 202.
With a released winch assembly 504, the pivot lever assembly 214 will eventually cause the lateral side of the lid 204 coupled to the lever arm 604 and the lever arm 604 to approximate a side of central opening 122 opposite the rail guide member 202 with the upper surface 206 of the lid 204 being at least substantially parallel to a horizontal plane and the central opening 122 of the storage container 100 being at least substantially entirely covered. In other words, without opposing forces and without interference, the pivot lever assembly 214 will eventually cause lid 204 to move into a closed position from the open position.
All references cited herein are incorporated herein in their entireties. If there is a conflict between definitions herein and in an incorporated reference, the definition herein shall control.
The embodiments of the disclosure described above and illustrated in the accompanying drawings do not limit the scope of the disclosure, which is encompassed by the scope of the appended claims and their legal equivalents. Any equivalent embodiments are within the scope of this disclosure. Indeed, various modifications of the disclosure, in addition to those shown and described herein, such as alternate useful combinations of the elements described, will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the description. Such modifications and embodiments also fall within the scope of the appended claims and equivalents.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 63499163 | Apr 2023 | US |
